2 comments/ 15503 views/ 7 favorites Behind The Potted Plant By: thornapple Philip Johnson Chapter One Jim leaned over the table and in a near whisper said, "Hey Bro, Alexis Reinhart just came into the restaurant," and that's all it took for him to put on his bright business smile, and his wife Brook looked toward the front of the restaurant. "Neal," Jim said, "We have to make a point to stop and say hello before we leave." Then Alexis looked past the maitre de and smiled at us. "I don't think we need to worry about that at all," and she moved toward us. No, she smiled and levitated before she came toward us. Or at least her long legs and perfect posture made it appear that way. As she neared, Jim and I stood up and smiled, and were soon rewarded with kisses on our cheeks before Jim said, "Nice to see you again Alexis." "Thank you Jim." Then she looked at me and then to Brook saying, "Hello Neal. Brook, you look wonderful." Brook knew how to play the game too. "Thank you Alexis, and you look stunning as always." "Thank you. I'm supposed to meet some friends, but they just called because they're running late. It would seem that Conrad was driving fast and they were stopped for speeding." "Then please join us until they arrive." "I don't mean to intrude, but I did want to say hello." "You're not intruding at all, share some wine with us." "If you're sure, then thank you I will," and for the next twenty minutes the four of us chatted. Had we been at a bar hoisting beers we would have been shootin' the shit, but at Ruth's Chris Steak House, we were chatting and sipping wine. Our ever attentive waiter provided us with more wine, and Alexis with a glass, and our chatting continued unabated. As we talked my attention, of course, was on Alexis, but I listened more than I talked. Jim was her architect and I was her lowly general contractor whenever she was into another of her projects, which was often. The last time it was her lake house that we remodeled and almost doubled in size. When we began that project it was a cottage, but when we were done it was a lake house. As I listened, I thought about her. I knew she was single, but I didn't know the details. Was there a Mr. Reinhart in her past? I didn't have a clue. Hell, I didn't even know if she'd ever been married, let alone divorced or widowed, nor did I have a clue where her money came from. I just knew that she was what I considered wealthy. In beer talk she would be damn rich. Most of her attention had been on Jim and Brook, but then her hand went to my forearm and she lit me up with her smile and said, "And how are you doing Neal?" "When we sat down I was doing fine, but with you at our table I have to say I'm doing so much better." Her eyes danced as she absorbed the sugary words and simply said, "Thank you Neal. You look like life has been good to you." "Indeed it has. Are you enjoying your lake house?" "I just love it," and looking back to Jim she added, "I love the design you came up with." "Thank you, but that was a collaboration between you and me and Neal." I liked being included, but in truth I had damn little to do with the design, except for what I offered when Jim and I were hoisting those beers at the bar or at home. My attention went up another notch when Alexis said, "Jim, I want to get with you about doing something with my house. Call me and we can go over my thoughts in more detail." Then looking at me she added, "Neal, I'd want you involved in this too of course." I could feel Jim smiling inside. "I'll call you in the morning then Alexis." Then smiling he added, "But not too early in the morning." She just smiled. We knew that she liked to stay up late and sleep in the next morning. "Neal, I'm surprised that you don't have some gorgeous woman with you. Are you a dedicated bachelor?" "Oh no. But you've set the bar so high. How can I ever hope to find somebody like you?" Then I smiled at her. We both knew I was just blowing smoke up her ass, but she smiled back and said, "You are so full of sweet lies," and after getting up she kissed my cheek again before she walked away. As soon as she had left to join her friends, Jim asked, "What the hell can she do with her house. It's huge now to say nothing of impressive." Brook offered, "If she makes it much larger it will be more offensive than impressive." "And the house isn't all that old either," I said and then added, "I'm guessing maybe eight years at the most." "I can't wait to hear what she's come up with this time." Then looking at Brook he asked her, "How old do you think she is?" "Oh, maybe forty or so. It's hard to tell, because her main job in life is to take very good care of herself and it shows, so maybe even forty five or six." "I'm thinking more like forty or slightly less rather than more." I just smiled and said, "Going by her legs I'd have to say more like thirty five." Brook smiled and said, "I didn't know you were a leg man." "I'm not. Well not exactly anyway, but that's what I could see the most of this time." "We certainly saw enough of them, that's for sure." "You know what they say, go with your strengths, and her strength isn't in her breasts." Brook smiled, but rather than encourage me, she just sipped her wine. "As I remember it, her front door opens into a foyer larger than my guest room, and from there you go straight ahead to the great room." "Right. There really is no living room per se, and angling off to the right at the far end of the Great room you go into the hearth room or den." "Oh that's right, the den and great room connect to the grilling porch with the outdoor kitchen." "And it goes on and on. Be a hell of a place to have a party." "From what I hear she's quite the hostess too. Damn I'm eager to hear what she comes up with." Brook was studying what remained of her wine as she said, "I'd kill to have her kitchen. The whole back part is open to the great room and the den with a row of barstools so part of that long curved counter can serve as an excellent bar area." Chapter Two I didn't have to wait more than a few days before Jim called me about Alexis and her house. "Neal, I'm with Alexis talking about a project. Could you break away and join us at her house?" I was very busy, but I wasn't stupid. "Of course I can, I'm on my way." Even with no details I knew this could end up being a large and very profitable contract. It took me half an hour to get to Granger, but as I drove up to her house I smiled and just looked at it for a minute. All rich brown colored brick in a grand country style. Double ornate oak front doors and a three car garage off to my right. Then more details came to me. There was a large storm closet, an exercise room and an office. About the only thing her house didn't have was a butler's pantry. When the front door opened, Alexis smiled and I was treated to a light embrace and another kiss on the cheek, but closer to my mouth than was typical. "I know you're busy Neal, so thank you for rushing out here into the country." "I'm glad to be here." Her arm slipped around my waist in a casual friendly way and we walked into the great room. As we continued straight ahead, I mentally confirmed that the room was close to twenty feet wide. Pointing toward the wall and separated the great room from the grilling porch she said, "I want to take that whole wall out and expand the hearth room and great room into the grilling porch area. Then build another grilling area in conjunction with a pool and enlarging the flagstone and cement patio area." "So the great room, hearth room and grilling porch would become one huge great room." "That's right. Much better for entertaining. Let's face it, if I'm here alone I usually end up lounging in my suite." "So no thought to adding a living room then." "No. Living rooms look nice, but I really have no need for one. That's one reason I chose this floor plan in the beginning. The architect broke with tradition by taking away the living room." Then sweeping her arm around in an arch she said, "Look how nice this is for entertaining. Then consider how much nicer it will be with the new design. Maybe add a bar area and another one out on the new grilling porch, or rather lounge area, instead of that silly summer kitchen that I never use." "Alexis, the first thing I notice is part of that wall between the grilling porch and the hearth room is a load bearing wall. Not a major obstacle, but one that Jim will have to work around right Jim?" "Neal is right, but I have a couple of ideas to deal with that." Alexis smiled and managed to get an arm around each of us as she said, "I can hardly wait to see this happen and I knew that I had to work with you two." What I couldn't know was, seeds were slowly being planted that were going to have a major impact on my life for years to come, and perhaps for the rest of my life. Jim and Alexis talked about some of the details, and for the most part I just listened. Then Jim told her he'd get started on some rough drawings to show her, and with that she walked us to the door. As we walked out toward our cars Jim said, "Alexis asked a good question by the way. Why don't you have a woman in your life, and don't give me that bull shit you gave her." "I'm seeing Linda, or did you forget that detail?" "Okay, and how often do you two get together?" "In other words are we getting serious?" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Not really serious, but I'm not looking to start seeing anybody else either." He stopped at his car and as he opened his door he said, "I think you're too lazy to invest a lot of effort in any woman." "Up yours bro, I said as I smiled. "I'm doing just fine. You just got damn lucky with Brook so don't get too full of yourself. See ya later," and I got into my car and led the way back to Mishawaka. I had more than enough to keep me busy, but despite that fact I found Alexis and her project popping into my mind frequently. I told Linda about the whole Alexis thing over dinner Friday evening, but after that I didn't bring it up again. I really wouldn't have much to say until Jim and Alexis had come to an agreement on the design. Then it would be my turn to talk to her about the cost and the stages and details of the construction. I almost thought that I could charge her whatever as long as it wasn't outlandish and she wouldn't balk. But one bad report from her and I could lose a lot of business. Besides, that wasn't my style. I would quote her fairly, but at the same time it wouldn't be a bargain. As the days passed, I did my best to get caught up so I could concentrate on Alexis and her project, and about ten days later Jim called me. "I just spent an hour with Alexis showing her drawings and talking about some of the finer details. I'm happy to say she's pleased and eager to get started. What will your schedule be like?" "I'm working hard to make time for her, so I should be in at least halfway decent shape." "Great, I'll have Jeff get some halfway decent drawings to you to look at and we'll get started on the official plans." "That'll be good. Okay, and so it begins." Then an hour later Alexis called me. "This is Neal." "Hi, it's Alexis. Could you and I get together and talk about a few things?" "Of course, what's convenient for you?" "My schedule is pretty open today and tomorrow." "How about later today, say around five?" "Wonderful Neal, see you then. Bye." That conversation was one more step toward my impending philosophical realignment. Even sitting there thinking about Alexis I had to wonder if I hadn't been true to myself. Maybe I was a confirmed bachelor after all. Marriage wasn't something that I had a lot of interest in. I wasn't hot to see how many women I could bed, but at the same time I liked knowing that I was free to bed one here and there, should I have that opportunity. I was greeted by Maggie, Alexis' housekeeper and was led to the great room, where I found Alexis sitting there smiling at me as I neared her. "Thank you Maggie," and I was motioned to sit next to her on the love seat. Her hand went to my thigh as she said, "Thanks for dropping everything and coming out Neal." "You're very welcome. So what wonderful things have you come up with?" "You are such a sweet liar. Wonderful things I came up with? That's a nice way to say this crazy woman is out of touch, and I love you for your sensitivity. Now before I make you uncomfortable, let's talk about how you see construction going." "You'll continue to have use of most of the great room until near the end, but there will have to be a plastic curtain around the end of your kitchen to control the dust. Sorry I can't do much about the noise however." "That won't be a problem." "You're going to end up with the largest great room I've ever heard of." "I know, isn't that crazy? I have a decorator coming to talk to me so that I can have everything ready the minute you say you're work is done. Oh, and what about the pool and patio?" "I'll have my favorite pool contractor take care of the pool and Wilson's will do the patio flagstone work. Has the landscape architect been in touch with you?" "Yes he has, and he instantly had some thoughts that he shared with me. I'll enjoy working with him I'm sure." "Good, because we'll almost certainly do some considerable damage to some of the lawn before it's over." "That's all fixable so I'm not worried. Besides I know that you'll do your best work and have my interest at heart. That's why I always turn to you and Jim for my projects." "Thank you for your confidence." "Okay so time estimates. How long after you have Jim's plans will you begin?" "As soon as he gives me the word and I can get the basic materials on site. Then the chaos will begin. I can't give you a time for completion until I've seen the final drawings though." "That's fine. I want to have a party. A gathering of friends not long before you start so that's why I wanted to know about dates." "Oh, I see. I can see things starting to happen by the end of the month assuming there are no problems from Jim or from the building permits, which by the way I don't foresee, because the footprint of your home will not change except for your new grilling porch extension." "Oh good, then I'll start making my guest list and get the arrangements started. I want this to be my best party ever. Maybe to celebrate the new construction." I gave her my best smile and said, "Then maybe another party to celebrate the completion of your greatest of great rooms." That made her smile grow and then she kissed my cheek again. "Yes, that would be perfect, absolutely perfect." I just wished I had her freedom; her ability to follow her wishes and dreams. Of course I also wished I had her money to use for chasing those dreams. With the clarity of things when looking back, I could have seen my talk with Alexis was yet another step toward the end of my metaphorical gangplank and the sharks could well be very hungry. Chapter Three Once home again I called Jim and we talked about our Alexis project, and I told him about visiting with her. When Jim told Brook afterward she called me and asked, "Are you getting a thing for sweet Alexis?" I laughed and said, "Yeah right, I'm hot for a rich woman that shows no interest in men of any kind, and she'll fall all over me, a general contractor. I'm used to working with guys that fart, scratch their balls, drink too much and swear constantly. I'm not into fine dining, lace and tuxedos." Brook laughed and said, "What a picture you paint of your exciting life. Okay I was just checking, but after you mentioning her killer legs I had to check. Well and you flooded her with sweet words" "I'll drown her in sticky sweet syrup if it will help things to go smoothly and encourage her to us our services again. Oh, and she still has killer legs, and the rest of her isn't exactly ugly either." "But her boobs are too small." It was my turn to laugh that time and then said, "I said they were small, not too small. I've never seen breasts I didn't like because they were too small." "So you really do like women." "I'm hot for women, but just not out of control." "I'm buying about twenty percent of what you're saying. Okay, talk to you soon I'm sure. Bye stud," and she hung up before I could come back with some snappy response. Then I had to wonder what twenty percent was it that Brook did believe? I'd have to ask her about that. My life was simple all things considered. I did love women, but...well maybe it was like Jim said, I just didn't have a compelling reason to pursue the opposite sex. I liked Linda a lot, but the fact that we saw each other at most once or twice a week was telling, and those times it was usually out for dinner and or drinks and occasionally out with Jim and Brook. I hadn't screwed a woman in months and that realization jarred me a little. I saw myself as fit and in good shape. Six one and one ninety and still had pretty good stamina for my age of forty. Jim on the other hand was five eleven and two something. That meant that every time we were together I felt like something of a stud. A stud whose sex drive had a broken transmission it seemed. But then it also dawned on me that Linda was a driving force with our abstinence too. Was her sex drive in neutral too? I'd have to think about that detail. And what about Alexis? Maybe she didn't have much of a sex drive either, so maybe I was more normal than I first thought. Of course Alexis could be getting it twice a week and I wouldn't know it, but she never seemed to be like that. Maybe when you're dysfunctional you seek out others that are just as bad or worse so you'll look better in your own mind. Three weeks later Jim sent me, via Jeff, my copy of the blueprints. It was time to gather the team and get to work. I could almost feel myself sitting in the new car with leather upholstery and heated seats that I would buy with the profits from this job. Actually it would likely be a new pickup truck, but I was going for the top model whatever brand I decided on. Jim had another meeting with Alexis and they went over everything one more time before he called me and gave me the green light to get started. That next Monday put me on the phone to Alexis to tell her, "It's time Alexis. Maybe we better get together again and talk about storing your furniture and so forth. I'll be able to leave you with a sheet giving approximate times and details of construction too." "I'm so excited Neal. Yes, come out for an early dinner and then we can talk over wine." I swallowed hard because this was something new in our friendship. "Thank you, I'd like that very much." I wasn't prone to getting overly nervous, but this turn of events had me sweating a little. I'd have to be proper and gentle and use the correct fork. I'd have to smile at the appropriate moments and be sure to make great eye contact all the way through dinner and the wine. And I couldn't scratch my balls or swear. I decided I needed more time away from my rough and ready crews, and I needed to clean up my act a little so it wouldn't be such a strain behaving myself in front of the likes of Alexis. Okay, maybe that would be my next New Years resolution. I was greeted with a social but firm and extended embrace before she kissed my cheek. But this time I returned the kiss and to my great relief she led us to the breakfast room. "I much prefer dining here instead of that stuffy dining room. Maggie has prepared us a light dinner and I have a wonderful white wine to go with the Apalachicola Bay scallops and salad." "Sounds great." I was going to have to be more flowery and witty than that or this was going to get very uncomfortable for me. I managed the flowery and even a glimmer of intelligence, but the witty part never appeared. I also did great with the eye contact. Behind The Potted Plant "Neal would I be terribly out of line to ask you why you aren't married?" "It's as fate would have it I guess," I said as I lied to her. "I do have a girlfriend of sorts, but nothing serious at this point. Dare I return the same question to you?" She smiled and picked up her wine glass as she looked into my eyes. Women are so much better at that than men for some reason. "I guess it's a lot like you just said about fate. I was married for about two and a half years, but it wasn't a happy time, so maybe that has something to do with it as well." "If you'll forgive me, as attractive and alluring as you are, I know it isn't for lack of attention from men." Her smile grew and she drilled into my eyes again as she said, "Thank you Neal. I know you often say sweet things because you feel it's expected of you, but I think you meant that it that time." "Of course I did. Please forgive me if I sound crude for a moment, but I'll tell you something I told Brook She asked me if I was...how did she phrase it...If I was developing a certain...a certain attachment to you. Not in these exact words, but I told her that I could fully appreciate you in every sense of the word, but that I spend most of my life around workmen that are in the habit of farting and scratching their balls and drinking too much beer." Before I could go farther she broke into a long laugh and leaned back before I could try to explain myself further. "Is that what you're really like Neal?" "No, I don't drink much beer," and again she broke into a titter of laughter. Then I added, "Right now, having dinner and wine with you is very refreshing and fun, and I continue to appreciate you in every sense of the word." "Oh Neal you are also very refreshing and pleasant." "Sorry if I offended you." Again she laughed and then said, "You didn't offend me at all. You know, you and Jim are so alike in many ways, but your sense of humor and your slant on life are different than his. Neal, thank you so much for your flattery and I mean that. Most men will spew out strings of words that they think I want or need to hear and I'm used to that. But with you it's always different. I hear those words, but coming from you they sound different and so nice. More pleasing and fresh. Let's take our wine to the great room and talk about what lies ahead for us." We stood in the middle of her already impressive great room and she slipped her arm around my waist. Something was going on and I decided it was Alexis toying with me. I was her key to her new party room, but in the meantime she was teasing me and she seemed to be enjoying herself. Other than finding myself nervous once again, I was having fun as well. My arm went around my rich customer's waist and I told her, "Okay, so tell me when you'd like me to start making your life complicated with noise, dust and commotion." "Um...how about a week from Monday, is that possible?" "That's very possible. That will give me time to go over everything once more. Now just to make sure. You do understand what will be happening right?" "You've been very thorough so yes, I feel I know what will happen and I can't tell you how excited I am about this." "I'll be eager to see what you think of the finished product." She looked up at me with flirting eyes and said, "I already know that I'll love it." "Then sadly I better get back because I have my work cut out for me." As we walked toward the front door she asked me in a soft and almost plaintive tone, "So you think this project will go well then?" "I can promise you that we will almost certainly have surprises and setbacks because things like that always happen at some point along the way. Weather problems, backordered materials or whatever. But we do our best to anticipate things like that and work around them. It's all part of the job. But that said, yes I think everything will be fine and we'll finish within our projected time frame. I have my best crews ready to start and I intend to be here frequently to make sure that we're doing our best for you." At the door we stopped and she said, "Thank you very much for giving me so much personal attention Neal. I really do have total confidence in your skills and Jim's contribution as well. Both of you are the best as far as I'm concerned." "Then I can go back to the office feeling I'm doing my job to keep you informed and as relaxed as circumstances allow." That garnered me a soft kiss, but this time on the lips. In truth I was her friend, but more importantly I was her hireling and still she felt comfortable enough with me to share that personal gesture. "Thank you Alexis," and I left there feeling many things, but I didn't feel nervous. I even felt a little twinge of carnal urges toward sweet and somewhat mysterious Alexis. Once again, without knowing it, I'd just taken another step toward the end of my metaphorical gangplank. Linda and I had dinner with Jim and Brook, plus my friends Logan, and his girlfriend Kitty Casey. We were at the Carriage House Restaurant on Adams Road, one of the best and nicest restaurants in the whole area if not the very best. We were there celebrating Brook's birthday and were in a festive mood. I had warned Linda early on that I occasionally would throw flattery and general bull shit if I encountered a present or past customer. It was a good thing that I had made that clear, because Alexis appeared with another woman and came to our table. Being a gentleman in the making, I stood up and I kissed Alexis' cheek. Looking at all six of us in turn she said, "Everybody this is Evelyn Hagen. This sweet man is my general contractor Neal, and his girlfriend Linda. Then Jim and Brook and..." "And," I said, "Alexis and Evelyn, this is Logan and Kitty, good friends of ours, and it's very nice to meet you Evelyn." The eight of us talked for a few minutes, and then after agreeing to meet for drinks after dinner, they went to their table, while the six of us resumed our somewhat festive but dignified birthday celebration. In the end, Alexis and Evelyn joined us at our table and we enjoyed some libations and more conversation. Evelyn had the longest and fairest blond hair I'd ever seen, coming down almost to her waist and I had to compliment her on her shining crown. Evelyn displayed a lot of self control, but she did grace me with a very fetching smile and soft words of thanks. I had to be careful not to pay too much attention to Evelyn because she really piqued my curiosity. Very nicely dressed and made up, and she was well poised, as well as a little rigid in her posture. Maybe just a little too thin and too proper was what I was seeing. In fact she made Alexis' breasts seem very adequate in comparison. Logan and Kitty left in their car, and Linda and I drove toward Jim and Brooks house as we talked about Alexis and Evelyn, and the upcoming remodeling project. As we rode, Linda said, "I noticed Evelyn checking you out." "I noticed Evelyn checking all of us out. She seemed to be one of those people that doesn't talk a lot, but they don't miss anything. She's very observant." "Maybe that's what it was. You must have spent some time looking at her as well." That was a reminder to me that I sometimes talk too much. The only thing I could do, was try to make a feeble attempt to defend myself saying, "I don't think I did. Maybe I was just being observant." Linda just looked at me with what I thought was a small, crooked and unbelieving smile, and to help bail me out, Jim started to talk about next weeks schedule. Chapter Four I was ready to get the big remodeling project underway, but for whatever reason Alexis wanted to wait a week. Then I remembered she was going to have a gathering of friends at some point in the next week. Everything was quiet and the week went smoothly. That is until late Friday afternoon when I called Alexis. "Sorry to bother you, but would it be possible for me to stop by and take a few measurements?" "Oh...um..." "Not a good time I take it. That's okay, I just wanted to triple check something before Monday morning." That was a total lie. I was just trying to impress her with how thorough I was going to be. Just doing my dog and pony show was all it was. "How long would you need Neal? I certainly appreciate you being thorough." "No more than...say half an hour, but I'm not in the office so I'll need close to an hour to get there and finish." Another step on my gangplank and it was starting to bounce under my feet. "I'm having my friends in but...half an hour is all you need?" "That's all and I promise to be efficient and as invisible as possible." "What area will you have to be in?" "I want to recheck the load bearing walls between the grilling porch and your master suite and the hearth room area." "Of course, that will be fine. My guests will be here, but I don't mind if you don't." "Not at all, and as soon as I'm done I'll just slip out and not bother you." If only I could have known. I was at the end of my plank, but I was wrong. Sharks weren't waiting for me. It was Tic Toc from Peter Pan and his whole damn hungry family. Cars were parked wherever they could find a place, be it the driveway or the grass. I counted twelve and gave up as I went to the door and rang the bell. Alexis was like I'd never seen her before. Short chocolate brown split front skirt, but that wasn't the only issue. Nor was the silky blouse with the deep plunging neckline. As she opened the door I could see the fancy top of her thigh high nylon on her right thigh. She had a glass of what looked like champagne in her left hand and she was beaming. How many glasses of bubbly had she already consumed? I stepped in and was greeted with another kiss, but this time I tasted her tongue as she held me close with her right arm as she splashed champagne on my arm. When she released her hold on me I was smiling like an idiot, but I recovered and told her, "Now I have to say, I've never been received that nicely before, thank you." "You're welcome. Oh and look at you all dressed in slacks and a beautiful dress shirt. Do come in love." "Thank you, I just came from a meeting in South Bend." The sound of many voices all talking at the same time came to me from the great room, so I slipped into the hearth room and Alexis returned to her friends. As soon as I was alone I stopped and touched my lips with my finger. Did she just give me one hell of a nice kiss or was I coming unglued? Did I just see her right leg almost up to her promised land? I made a show of dragging a tape measure around the room and jotting nonsense on a tiny pad of paper. Then I'd pause and stare at the wall and do something else. All done just in case Alexis would happen to peek in on me to check my progress. I was sure I'd made my impression with her, so I put my eight foot tape in my pocket, tucked my notepad in my shirt pocket and started to make my way toward the kitchen. It was my plan to slip through the laundry room and exit through the garage door. Really, that was my plan. That is until I heard a loud noise coming from the great room, from what had to be most of the women squealing and clapping at the same time. I shouldn't have done it and I was even aware of that fact at the time, but I was overpowered by curiosity. I peeked around the end of the wall separating the hearth room from the great room. I still wonder how long I stared at all of them without blinking. Four young studs here standing in the near center of the room and each holding trays filled with glasses full of champagne or sparkling wine. It was something clear and bubbly and I was willing to bet it wasn't Seven Up. But that observation only took me seconds to study. What really had me holding my breath was...well it was several details actually. In order of first observation only, the first detail was, Evelyn was there with her very long blond hair. Standing there in her very short shorts, medium heels and what appeared to be a nearly invisible top, and an almost non existent bra. But I'd seen Alexis dressed to kill. Then I remembered her tiny split skirt and sexy dark nylons. After Evelyn it was Holly Newlander. I had met her and was around her for awhile at some point in my not too distant past. Long legs. Make those stunning legs, and a lot like Alexis' legs in fact. She had delicate china like features and very fair complexion. Large dark eyes and perfect eye makeup. Medium breasts that must have been an eyeful when looking at her from the front. She belonged on a fashion runway except she rarely smiled. Aloof was what came to my mind. I pulled back before I could be seen and continued digesting what I had just witnessed. Jill Samuels was next in my mental line up. Bold black and white print button blouse and black, what I think was called, an A line skirt. Anyway, it flared at the bottom and in keeping with the others it was short. Her hair was cut in what I could only call a shaggy cut and in an unruly style. Round face that matched her chunky build and she had enough eye makeup on for three women. Next was a woman I didn't know. Dark short cut hair with silver highlights, large eyes with perfect makeup and glasses that must have been designed for her face. She was one detail that almost made me forget to be careful about being seen. Had Alexis caught me I would have been in so much trouble, but the true significance of that fact didn't seem to penetrate my overly dense testosterone muddled brain. I had to look again because there were many other women that I hadn't had time to study. Plus, what were those four studs up to? They sure as hell weren't the real wait staff for the little informal gathering. The possibility that came to my mind seemed to be too ludicrous to even consider, but I had to know for some reason. So I was overwhelmed with...okay, I was prying into what wasn't any of my business. At some point I decided that Alexis had been very particular when making her guest list. All good looking in their own way, but none better looking than she was. She wanted, and perhaps needed, to be queen of her domain. I just had to look one more time. This time just about knocked me off of my feet and I stared without regard to my own future existence let alone safety. My Linda was now in my line of sight. I didn't even know that she knew Alexis, beyond a hello, and in fact she didn't mention anything about knowing her when we saw Alexis at the restaurant. Linda, just like the others, was very lightly dressed and the one brief glance that I got of her as she turned toward me slightly, was the vee of her blouse went almost to her waist and I didn't see any evidence of a bra, and I was no more than thirty feet from her. She didn't see me because she was very busy studying stud number one as his shirt came off and went flying. Holy shit those guys really were male strippers. There was no way I was leaving the show at least for the moment. That guy I labeled as Blondie, and Lady killer, the second and very handsome guy, was next to lose his white shirt. I hate men like that. Smooth tanned skin, good looks and perfect sparkling white teeth on display through his perpetual smile. Slim waist and nicely filled out pecs, shoulders and upper arms. Stud number three was Mr. Perfect. He had it all. Nice hair that was naturally perfect. Great smile, perfectly proportioned body and on and on. I was tall and lean and in good shape and even blond, but I was no match for his good looks. Muscles was the fourth guy and I named him that for obvious reasons. He probably bench pressed five hundred pounds a hundred times before breakfast every day. I had to hide myself again and take a moment to absorb what I was seeing. There were at least a dozen other women that I had never seen before, but what struck me was, they all had to either know what was coming, or Alexis had somehow convinced all of them to dress very sexy for the party. A couple in tight jeans, but most of them in shorts, short skirts or short halter top dresses. Any garment that could be considered sexy seemed to be out there except for night ware. Oh yes, and the thumping loud music. Just listening to that could make a person envision hot sweaty bodies gyrating and humping each other and even become one of those pulsating participants. Chapter Five I very slowly moved until I could see the room with my left eye. All attention was on the four studs so I moved out a little farther and watched as two chairs appeared, and the guys started to tease and flirt with the women one by one. I couldn't hear what was being said beyond a disconnected word here and there and that was driving me crazy, but there was nothing I could do about that. Then Lady Killer pulled Linda to her feet and coaxed her to one of the chairs. It didn't seem to take a lot of coaxing either. In the meantime, Blondie selected one of the women I didn't know. She was one of them in a halter top dress, or whatever the hell it would be called. I just saw the long vee with her light almost pale skin contrasting with the black fabric. Linda was looking straight ahead, and as weird as it sounds, with a mixture of elation and fear. Miss Unknown was much the same, but she managed something approaching a smile. Now with the women sitting on those chairs, the man parts of the two studs were almost perfectly aligned with the two women's faces, and the men took advantage of that fact as they moved around and teased without actually touching them. Linda's eyes followed Blondie's cock and balls as he moved in front of her until he put a blind fold on her. Then he put whipping cream on his finger and had her suck it off, and at the same time the same thing was happening to Miss Unknown as the rest of the women laughed or giggled or clapped. Then Blondie pulled Linda's top forward just enough to shoot whipping cream all over her breast as she took a quick breath in surprise, and then on to the other breast. But then I stopped breathing once again, because Blondie put his hands on her breasts and pushed the whipped cream around massaging her tits as she sat there blindfolded and smiling. Had any other strange guy ever put hands on her breasts she would have screamed rape, but for reasons that I couldn't quite appreciate, she was smiling and the other woman was saying something through her large grin. I ducked back again so I could think about seeing Linda being pawed by that more naked than dressed ass hole. I was turned on and pissed at the same time, but I didn't know if I was pissed at him or at her. The evening was young and only going to get more intense and I knew that. Then another thought came to me. Alexis didn't have to worry about the carpet or floor because in a matter of days my crew would be ripping all of that up anyway. All of the partiers could totally trash the place and it wouldn't matter. When I chanced another look, the first thing I saw were Gina's breasts. At some point her top and bra had been donated to the floor and might never be seen again. Then I realized another unknown woman was stripped to the waist. Things might well start to happen faster as the champagne was guzzled and the studs advanced their game. What a job to have. For a couple of hours or so they could entertain women they didn't even know. They could touch and fondle, kiss and strip them with impunity. In fact the women would love them for it. I knew so little about what I was witnessing and that fact would become glaringly obvious over the next half an hour or so. The next time I looked at Linda, she was down to her panties right along with Miss Unknown, and Blondie's red thong was history. Maybe it was somewhere with Gina's bra and top, but that didn't matter, because as I watched, Linda reached for his hard cock, and Miss Anonymous went to her knees to suck stud number two. The other two sans shirt studs were moving through the other twelve or fifteen women, and those two guys were touching and being touched with total abandon. My gangplank was getting slippery now and I was staring down into an abyss called my nightmare in the making. Behind The Potted Plant There was a small part of the great room that I couldn't see, and it hadn't occurred to me that I hadn't seen Alexis since she had left me to do my phony measurements. But that didn't even dawn on me until she came into my line of sight and her blouse was missing. All I could think of was, oh shit, I was so far in over my head. I really needed to escape, but I just had to wait for just a little longer. On top of that I was afraid to make a break for it and duck into the kitchen and then get my ass out of the house. Anybody in that room would have a good chance to see me bent over and running for safety. I didn't know how the hell I was going to save myself. Alexis wasn't more than six feet from Mr. Perfect and she was rolling her hips in time with the music, and as she stared at him, his slacks dropped to the floor. Well at least he wasn't bare assed, but his black, very brief, almost thong underwear seemed well enough stuffed. I knew Alexis was getting her eyes filled and her imagination fired up just looking at his man package. Maybe it was because she was paying for the party slash orgy, but whatever the reason, Mr. Perfect moved over to her and they shared one hell of a kiss before he relieved her of her bra, and then with Alexis putting up token resistance he relieved her of her skirt. She was now standing there in her panties, nylons and heels. Damn she presented a sight to behold, and you can bet I was staring at her. How the hell was I ever going to be able to look at her again and talk about boring business details and not think of her all but naked? Off to my right something caught my eye and as I looked over there, Gina was being stripped naked by Muscles and she not only didn't resist, she helped him, and then had the honor of removing his tiny underwear. None of the guys had huge cocks, and in fact they were all fairly similar in size, but I had a feeling that the women weren't really all that concerned with cock size anyway. Another woman caught my eye at that point. She wasn't all that far from me and Lady Killer was putting his moves on her. But he was moving slowly and paying a lot of attention to her. Then I could see why. Her cheeks were pink to the point of looking red. I was sure it was a combination of embarrassment and excitement, but it was easy for him to see that she shouldn't be rushed. Even with that he talked her out of her blouse and then pulled her to him until her arms went around him, and her hands landed on his well muscled ass. My eyes were trying to keep up with Alexis, Linda and now this young woman, whoever she was. As Lady Killer talked to her, he coaxed his briefs down until his cock sprung free and she looked away and almost caught me staring at her. I ducked down and pulled back, but I kept at least one eye on her as he coaxed her into looking at him. Not his cock, but at least up into his eyes. In the meantime, Linda's panties were being teasingly eased down until her pussy was presented for his eyes as well as every woman in the room. At some point after I'd seen her naked, she had shaved her slightly large, but trimmed patch of hair and this blond fuckhead had a ringside seat to that grand unveiling. I was full of fury about all of that, but in some strange way I was converting at least some of that rage into passion as I watched Alexis and now my sweet mystery woman. She had short light brown hair in a loose and straight style. Very cute and wholesome, shy and bashful, and yet, to me at least, she seemed determined to push on and experience whatever she could while she had the chance. Alexis had the legs, but Mystery Woman had something that was pulling me into what she was experiencing. The studs were acting silly and apparently not taking anything they did seriously, but their cocks stayed hard, and Alexis was taking advantage of that fact with Mr. Perfect as she paid homage to his cock and balls with her hands and her mouth. This very classy and well to do, and especially now, very sexy woman was getting down to the basics of her orgy. She was behaving in a way that I could never have even conceived of just an hour or so ago. My cock was hard and no doubt would stay that that way for some time to come. At some point, Linda's stud moved on to tease other women, so I now had time to study some of the other action. Some woman soon had Muscles' cock buried deep in her throat, and a minute later he shot is goods all over her naked and oversized tits. Then a woman from the far side of the room that had been hidden amidst other women came into my view and I had to stop breathing again. It was Brook. My sister had been invited to this shindig, and for the first time I saw her as naked as the day she was born. I could also see why she got Jim's attention some six years ago. She wasn't hot, but I even ignored Alexis and my sweet mystery woman to study her as she moved around until she could get her hands on Lady Killers cock and balls as they shared a long and deep kiss. Muscles' cock barely softened before he moved on to another quest and that was with the stuffy and aloof Holly Newlander. But this time, Muscles didn't settle for a blow job. He soon had Holly on her back on the carpet and was slamming into her as she raised her legs and let them open wide so he could have full access to her pussy. Sober faced Holly lit up like a Christmas tree, and she became an animal as she humped her hips up to meet every one of his powerful thrusts. He was slowly pounding her toward the far side of the room as he rammed her slight body across the carpet. Watching that action caused me to miss the beginnings of a surprise even bigger than anything I had seen all evening. I discovered I had more of an emotional investment in Linda than I had realized, because Jill Samuels was on her back and Linda was between her legs giving her one hell of an oral treat, as Jill touched and teased Linda's vulva and ass. I had never watched two women together before except for some bad porn movies, but this was totally different. The two of them weren't just playing around and I had the distinct impression that none of that was anything new for Linda, and I didn't give a shit about Jill. My reaction to what she was doing confirmed the fact that once she and I had a long conversation about the party, she would no longer be in my life. Linda was keeping too many secrets from me and pretending to be a pretty staid and conventional woman, and that now seemed almost laughable to me. She could withhold sex from me because she was getting it as often as she wanted it. I had tried to convince myself that other than the male strippers, all that was happening was spontaneous, but of course that idea just didn't fit the evidence. All of those women had to have at least a pretty good advance warning as to what their party would be like. Even Brook knew and I was quite certain she hadn't told Jim anything about it, other than maybe she was invited to Alexis' party. Chapter Six Blondie and the other guys moved through the women as they harvested all they could get. Kisses here, a hand full of breast or pussy there. A quick or not so quick fuck and then off with the condom and on to the next challenge. I had to give them a lot of credit and respect for their impressive staying power, but then no doubt that had been a primary consideration when they were recruited to play the part of mega stud. My emotions were all over the place. I was stone hard and fighting with myself to pull my cock out and enjoy myself. But considering my precarious situation I fought that urge. Another thing was, I had managed to coax a large potted plant over until I could look through that and see more without revealing my presence. I still didn't know how the hell I would escape and I would have to do that soon or would certainly be discovered. I think I saw Brook be taken by either Lady Killer or Mr. Perfect, but my view of the action was less than ideal, so all I could say was I was fairly sure it was Brook. I couldn't even bring myself to think about what I would tell Jim, if indeed I told him anything at all, and that added a tremendous amount of stress and worry to my already overloaded mind. As I watched from what I considered my safe place, Blondie discovered my mystery woman. Again she blushed, but hell, she was naked now and she'd seen so much and had even had her share of excitement. But there was still that element of shyness and sweet innocence that seemed to radiate from her. I almost laughed when I realized I was feeling jealousy because Blondie had his hands on her. I was frozen where I was now. I paid no attention to anything beyond what Blondie was doing to her. He soon slipped his cock into her as she lay on her back and looked up at him. I was looking at them from the side and I watched as his ass muscles flexed and relaxed again and again as he did his best to see to her desires. Then she turned her head to the side and she saw me staring at her. I was afraid I was going to throw up from fear. I couldn't move. I still wonder how long it was before I even took a breath, but she continued to stare at me and I felt myself being pulled into her. I knew she could see my face well enough to recognize me again if she ever saw me, and if she told Alexis, it would all be over for me. I didn't look at them fucking. I didn't spend much time looking at her cute body or her small firm breasts. I looked into her eyes and I was caught up in her world. Alexis could have been anywhere because I was no longer keeping track of her. Any of the other women including Linda could have seen me had they looked in my direction rather than where all of the action was taking place. All I could see and feel was her staring at me. I rode with her through her orgasm as she closed her eyes and then opened them again and we never lost contact with each other. I think I remember swallowing hard and taking a deep breath as I tried to control myself, but those moments are a little hazy for me even now. Apparently Blondie's gun wasn't loaded, so he withdrew, dragging his still hard cock across her thigh, and then standing up he helped my woman to her feet. They embraced and shared a light kiss, but I continued to look at her, and as he moved away she turned toward me. I was a dead man and I was sure of that. But then she very slowly took one step backward while still looking at me and then slowly turned and walked back to a cluster of women. I sat there and waited for the end of the world to come to me. I waited for some of the other women to turn and stare at me hunkered down behind my potted plant, and my face going crimson from embarrassment. But nothing happened. Nobody turned to look in my direction and I finally resumed my breathing. I suddenly realized I really had to take a leak and I couldn't very well stand up and water the potted plant. In fact I needed to get the hell out of there before anything more happened. I'd been so damn lucky, but that kind of luck would never come to me twice. If I got caught retreating then okay, because if I stayed I was sure to be caught anyway. I found Alexis off to one side talking to some woman and for a few more seconds I enjoyed studying her slight and provocative body. Then after one last check of the great room, I dashed straight to the kitchen and didn't stop until I was able to duck down next to some cabinets. I closed my eyes and held my breath, but nobody screamed at me, so I took a breath and let it out. I was cleared to escape and I even had a bathroom to use on my way out. My body relaxed so much that I was sure I was going to fall over, but of course I would be okay. In fact I would be great and have plenty of time to relive everything I had seen. I would have had time that is had I not suddenly heard, "My god Neal, what the hell are you doing here?" It was Alexis coming to the kitchen for something. Something I'm sure she forgot all about when she discovered me cowering against her cupboard cabinets. I don't think she even realized she was stark naked as she glared down at me. I had to think of something to say. Something plausible enough to buy me some time to think straight. Fear of my whole construction company being destroyed made my mind go into high gear and I said, "Damn it Alexis I'm in one hell of a bad fix." "No kidding, how the hell are you going to explain yourself. Why have you been hiding out here and spying on me and my guests? Neal, you are in so much trouble right now." "I'm sorry, but I've lost my car keys." "You've what? Oh give me a break Neal, you can come up with a better excuse than that can't you?" Before I could answer, somebody said her name and she looked back down at me again as she said, "You stay right here on your ass until I get back, because I have to decide if I'm going to call the police on you for stalking me an everybody else," and she stormed back to the great room. I took yet another long breath and exhaled and dug into my pocket and came out with my keys. I peeked around past the cabinets and then taking a chance, I slid my keys across the hearth room and under a small drawer cabinet similar to a bed stand. That wasn't what I was aiming for, but in fact it was a better place for them than where I had intended for them to go. Now I just had to convince her that I was in a bind and that was going to be a hard sell. While Alexis was gone I used the bathroom and washed my wet cock head and my hands and went back to a safe corner in the kitchen. I felt like I was living somebody else's life. I'd seen so much that I'd never seen before, and at least to some degree never believed that things like that really happened except maybe in a cheap movie. I had been hurt so much by Linda. I had to decide what I was going to do about Brook and Jim. I was into sexual and sensual overload, and despite my dire situation, my cock was more hard than soft. I could end up in jail. I could end up losing my contract with Alexis and if she chose, she could spread things about me that could destroy my business, or at the very least severely damage it, because a lot of my bigger jobs had come either from Alexis, or from people that had heard about me through her or one of her friends. I didn't even need to advertise thanks to my connection to her. An unhealthy situation for my business to be sure, but that realization came just a little too late. It seemed like forever before Alexis reappeared, but thankfully, though still furious with me, she was still naked and had even cooled off enough to at least talk to me without spitting. She had been as mad as anybody I'd ever encountered. "My guests are dress...I mean getting ready to leave, but you'll just have to stay here until they are gone. I'm being rude to them so I have to get back to them," and she turned and left me standing there. There was no kitchen table to sit at. I was getting tired from all of the stress and stimulation, so I boosted myself up onto the counter and sat there with my legs dangling. I felt like a kid in school and I was sitting in a big chair waiting for my fate to be decided by the mean principal. Chapter Seven I couldn't hear well enough to know when the guests left, so I had no choice but to stare and do mindless mental exercises. I counted the number of doors in her kitchen for example. I studied her large side by side stainless refrigerator and tried to calculate the number of cubic feet in it. The floor had a subtle geometric patter and I tried to turn that into a guessing game of sorts. I was starting to talk to myself when she reappeared wearing a light robe. I looked at her and jumped down and waited for my mistress to speak. "Damn it Neal, I don't know what to do. Okay, now explain to me in some detail at least how and why you managed to hide out through the whole evening." I began spinning my lie, hoping I could keep it simple so I could remember it and not be caught in my own fiction. "I made my notes, and by then the male...the guys were here and doing their thing. I was still in the great room so I hurried to get finished, but when I reached into my pocket for my keys they weren't there. I couldn't go to the grilling porch to look for them, because by then two of the men were down to their thongs and I didn't want your guests to know that I was still around. Well with there being French doors to the porch somebody would have seen me, so all I could do was look in the hearth room and hope I could keep myself out of sight. I crawled around and looked but I couldn't find them. I was stuck. I was determined to keep my presence a secret, because I was afraid that if one of the women saw me, chaos would ensue and your party would be destroyed." "So you sat in the hearth room and spied on all of us." I had to change the direction our conversation was going or my story was going to fall apart. I put my hands on her hips and drilled my eyes into hers as I said in a firm voice, "Okay damn it Alexis, it's like this. I loved the way you kissed me when I arrived and I was still thinking about that as I did my work. But then I chanced a look into where all of you were and I saw you in your bra and panties. Alexis I about fell apart staring at you. I couldn't stop looking, and once you were naked I felt powerless. I have to admit that I wasn't thinking very straight by then. Look, you have every reason to be upset with me and I understand that. But damn it, is it my fault that you look so great? Is it my fault that I've stared at your gorgeous legs more often that I want to admit even to myself?" Her voice softened as we continued to stare into each other's eyes. "Neal, you can't tell me that you didn't study and probably even lust after the other women." "I'm not going to insult you with lies Alexis. Of course I looked at the others, but I don't know most of them. In fact I can't say that I know more than three or four of them, and believe me, that makes a difference. Even though I slightly know Holly and she has long stunning legs, it's you that I kept going back to. I saw others that I don't know by name, but again, it was you that I was so wrapped up in. You were and are so sensuous and so...I don't know, classy and I know you're a great person. Well you get the idea. I don't want to blather on and make it look like I'm trying to drown you in syrupy words." "Neal, I'm still so mad, but I don't know at what or who or why. That was supposed to be an all girls night and..." "Alexis honey, that wasn't possible because of Blondie and Muscles and..." "Who?" "Sorry, I gave my own names to the four studs that were your entertainment." Her hands went to her face as though to hide from me, and she didn't talk for several seconds. "Just how much did you see Neal?" "Alexis, I saw a lot. Not all of course because I was hiding, but I did see a lot." "My god, what a mess this is." "Lexi...I'm sorry, Alexis, if you're worried about me saying anything to anybody, you have nothing to fear." "Neal don't make promises you won't keep." "I'll keep this one even though that presents me with a big problem." "How can you have a problem over this?" "Forgive my candor, but I saw Brook, my sister, be fucked by either Lady Killer or Blondie. Now we both know that I should tell Jim because he is my brother and I have a problem with what Brook did behind his back." "You mean she didn't tell him about tonight?" "I can't ask him without revealing what I saw, but I feel very safe in saying I'm sure she didn't tell him much if anything beyond she was coming here for the evening." "Neal, you can't tell Jim anything, please don't do that." "I've told you I won't, and I meant that. I don't know how I'll handle that, but I'll find a way and keep you safe too. But Alexis, if one of the others slips and says something, don't assume it was me that exposed...I mean hurt you. You took a great risk having this party and I'm sure you know that."